Lark Turner, Ari Hoffman  //  8/31/17  //  Daily Update

A federal judge blocks Texas’ ban on ‘sanctuary cities.’ The Ninth Circuit calls Coast Guard’s racial profiling of Latino man an egregious Fourth Amendment violation. An amicus filed in Wisconsin gerrymandering case advocates for partisan symmetry standard. Redrawn North Carolina redistricting maps head to judges for approval.

IMMIGRATION

A federal judge blocks Texas’ ban on ‘sanctuary cities’ (NYT).

CIVIL RIGHTS

No, Trump’s ban on transgender service members isn’t “frozen,” writes Eli Savit at Take Care.

An Arizona case sheds light on how a public official’s statements may factor into an intentional discrimination case, writes Charlotte Garden at Take Care.

The Ninth Circuit calls Coast Guard’s racial profiling of Latino man an egregious Fourth Amendment violation (ImmigrationProf Blog).

Read the opinion here.

DEMOCRACY

Redrawn North Carolina redistricting maps head to judges for approval (AP).

Amicus filed in Wisconsin gerrymandering case advocates for partisan symmetry standard (Election Law Blog).

• Read the brief here.

A think tank funded by more than $21m in Google money fires a Google critic (NYT, Ars Technica).

JUSTICE & SAFETY

South Korea and the U.S. should temporarily end large, joint military exercises, argues Herb Lin at Lawfare.

The FBI and DOJ must protect the free press in its investigation of leaks, writes Jeffrey H. Smith at Lawfare.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Donald Trump’s presidency has changed the rules of influence the nation’s capital, argues Nicholas Confessore in the New York Times Magazine.

RULE OF LAW

The hated “Deep State” and the media will save our democracy, argues Jeffrey Smith at Lawfare.

Just Security previews a new book on Supreme Court jurisprudence and the expansion of executive power.

CHECKS & BALANCES

President Trump’s pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio is ugly but constitutional, argues William Galston at the Wall Street Journal. 

Tax reform has historically been bipartisan and can be again, argues Robert Cresanti at The Hill.

FEDERALISM

President Trump’s failure to properly staff the federal government will have acute consequences related to diplomatic dealings in Asia, argues Fred Kaplan at Slate.

REMOVAL FROM OFFICE

The President’s pardon power could lead to his impeachment, argues Philip Lacovara at the Washington Post.

RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE

Recent revelations about a Trump real estate project in Russia poses a conflict of interest and may lead to more severe obstruction charges out of the Mueller investigation, argues Ryan Lizza at the New Yorker.